This invention relates to footwear including boots and shoes.
Safety shoes are known for their rigid and rugged construction, where comfort is often sacrificed for the benefit of safety. Steel toes for providing rigid protection to a wearer""s toes are often required in many safety shoes. The steel toe is incorporated into a shoe by inserting a flange portion of the steel toe under an insole member of the shoe. Some steel toe shoes are made using Opanka construction. Opanka is a type of shoe construction where the shoe upper is hand-sewn, together with a sock liner, to an outsole. Sandals are commonly made using the Opanka construction. To provide flexibility some Opanka construction do not include an insole. However, an example of a footwear construction that employs aspects of Opanka construction with a steel toe and an insole can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,067,732, Shoe Construction with Steel Toe, incorporated herein by reference.
The invention relates to a footwear construction and method for providing flexibility and support in a steel toe shoe, thereby providing an improved fit and increased comfort to the wearer.
In a general aspect of the invention, the method includes attaching an insole forepart to the bottom of the sock liner. An upper having a vamp lining with a toe part is provided where the toe part is stitched to the sock liner such that the vamp lining and the sock liner together define a volume for receiving a wearer""s foot. A steel toe is positioned substantially around the toe part of the vamp lining. An outsole having a forward portion formed of a material having a first resiliency characteristic is provided. A stiffener is positioned between the forward portion of the outsole and the insole forepart where the stiffener is formed of a material having a second resiliency characteristic less than the first resiliency characteristic.
In another aspect of the invention, a footwear construction includes a sock liner with an insole forepart attached to the bottom of the sock liner and an upper having a vamp lining with a toe part. The toe part is stitched to the sock liner such that the vamp lining and the sock liner together define a volume for receiving a wearer""s foot. The footwear construction also includes a steel toe positioned substantially around the toe part of the vamp lining, an outsole having a forward portion formed of a material having a first resiliency characteristic, and a stiffener between the forward portion of the outsole and the insole forepart, the stiffener formed of a material having a second resiliency characteristic less than the first resiliency characteristic.
Among other advantages, the stiffener is positioned to provide rigid support to a portion of the wearer""s foot positioned underneath the steel toe so that the shoe toe does not readily bend in a downward direction with respect to the rest of the shoe and to provide flexible support to allow the shoe to bend in an upward direction with respect to the rest of the shoe.
The toe portion of the steel toe is allowed to flex in an upward direction, but does not bend in a downward direction. The resiliency of the stiffener adds additional mechanical support to the steel toe.
In embodiments of this invention, the stiffener is formed as a set of stiffener bars. The stiffener is positioned in the front portion of the outsole. The outsole has a walking surface and an opposed surface opposite to the walking surface, and the stiffener is embedded in the opposed surface of the outsole. The stiffener is sized and shaped to provide rigid support to a portion of the wearer""s foot positioned underneath the steel toe. The stiffener has a ribbed top surface. The stiffener has a set of indentations along the top surface.
In another aspect of the invention, a footwear construction includes a sock liner with an insole forepart attached to the bottom of the sock liner and an upper having a vamp lining with a toe part. The toe part is stitched to the sock liner such that the vamp lining and the sock liner together define a volume for receiving a wearer""s foot. The footwear construction also includes a steel toe positioned substantially around the toe part of the vamp lining, an outsole having a forward portion formed of a material having a first resiliency characteristic, and a stiffener between the forward portion of the outsole and the insole forepart, the stiffener formed of a material having a second resiliency characteristic less than the first resiliency characteristic.
The details of one or more embodiments of the invention are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, objects, and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.